Odigie-Oyegun Says APC Can Be Fired If….

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the APC can be fired if it allows the repeat of the mistakes made by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, during its 16 years rule.

Oyegun who defined democracy as ability to hire and fire, (referring to the voting out of  incumbent government in 2015), said that with the internalization of firing in Nigerians political psyche, we too now know that we can be fired.

He made the statement on Tuesday at the Party’s national secretariat in Abuja when he was formally presented with the book “APC: The Making of a Change Agent” written by Barr. Okoi Obono-Obla.

The APC National Chairman, who described the book as an insider account of the merger process that culminated in the formation of the APC, encouraged other stakeholders who participated intimately in the formation of the APC to document their record of events for posterity.

Oyegun said it is important to encourage all those who participated intimately to document their record of what they think happened, so as to avert a hijack of merger story from those he called peripheral people” who are fond of claiming ownership of an event they know very little about like happening with June 12.

“Infact, we encourage all those who participated intimately to document their record of what they think happened.  Historians will then later take these slightly different versions considering the perspectives were you were standing to watch the show. And we will eventually have a comprehensive rendition of what happened”, he said.

He informed that it was the intense nationalism and sacrifices the legacy parties that merged to form the APC made, that accounted for the success. Adding that it was the first time a merger of that type had succeeded.

According to him, APC has created a machine that has started a significant move in entrenching democracy in this country.

Oyegun who hailed the contributions and sacrifices of chairmen of the legacy parties that merged to form the APC; saluted the courage of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; new PDP entrants amongst other stakeholders in the formation of the APC.

In his remarks, the author of the book and Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Barr. Okoi Obono-Obla who recalled several attempts at party alliances until the successful merger of the APC, added that the APC legacy parties merged to halt the PDP’s misrule, marred by insecurity, unemployment and bad governance.

Obono-Obla who served as the Secretary of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Alliance/Merger Committee said, “It was necessary for a member of the merger committee to tell the story so that there is no distortion and misrepresentation of facts. This generation and generations to come will read this story and also see how the PDP failed so that the APC will not make the same mistake. Because if we make that mistake, the Nigerian people will punish us as they punished the PDP… We should run a democratic party. I am happy that the APC National Chairman is doing his best and despite all the turbulence, the Party is still one.”

Those present at the book presentation were the APC National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu; National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso and National Vice Chairman (South East), Hon. Emma Eneukwu.

“The book tells the story of how the APC was founded; the intense negotiations.; support of the governor; and how the APC dethroned an incumbent government, unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.